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January 2013

What does it mean to be a Waterloo grad? To be a grad and a staff member here at Waterloo? To be a grad, staff, and the second generation in my family to graduate from Waterloo? It means I am three times lucky!

My name is Elizabeth Maki (nee Elliott) and I graduated from Renison College in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Religious Studies and minoring in Social Development Studies. I not only studied at Renison, I also lived there for four years and worked as a Residence Don for two. Renison became my home away from home and the residents and staff, my family.

Tomorrow is National Philanthropy Day® and in honour of it, I want to share with you what I recently learned about the culture of philanthropy here at UWaterloo.

Just two weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending the 2013 President’s Reception in the Bruce White Atrium in Math 3. As a student volunteer, it was a rare opportunity to meet and mingle with members of the board of governors, senior management, donors, alumni and other students.

Being the communications coordinator for the department of athletics obviously puts a soft spot in my heart for our UWaterloo athletic teams. But more than that, I am a proud alumnus of UWaterloo and I always feel a sense of a pride whenever one of our athletes and teams achieves great things.

Throughout my undergraduate years, I went from studying the great works of philosophy, to Buddhism, to cognitive psychology and neuroscience, to human physiology, and finally to how human physiology and psychology influence one another. I did well in my courses despite lacking a relevant background. I learned that doing what interests you most combined with a drive to do it really well is often enough to overcome a lack of experience and relevant background. The help of great mentors such as: Dr. William Abbott, Dr. Michael Dixon, and Dr. Richard Hughson certainly helped!

Previously, I was a co-op student in the Alumni Relations office and one of my main responsibilities was managing and supporting event logistics for convocation. While it wasn’t my time to cross the stage, I thoroughly enjoyed being part of the team bringing the university community together to celebrate this milestone in the lives of Waterloo’s newest graduates.

At Clearpath Robotics, we’re not just known for creating the world’s best unmanned vehicles for research and development, we’re also known for creating unique learning opportunities for our employees, both in the office and beyond. It should come as no surprise, then, that we’re huge supporters of co-op education.

Phew, what an exhausting weekend we had on campus last week! I almost thought about going into hibernation like a bear just to recover from it all. That being said, I couldn’t have had a better time and I love when the pride returns to campus and we can all relive our time together again. In fact, I keep reliving the weekend with the Storify that was recreated.

Graduating with solid co-op experience, it never occurred to me that finding a job would take time. However, despite competitive experience and job search skills, my classmates and I were primarily un(der)employed. “It’s just the economy” doesn’t help when you’re several months into sending out hundreds of resumes and feel that you have nothing to show for it. I watched as energetic friends lost momentum, and lamented the waste to the economy as they became disillusioned and depressed.

Hello, my name is Ron and I am an Alumnus from the second Civil Engineering class from the University of Waterloo.

I was part of the co-op program at Waterloo and the schedule was great because it allowed me to play varsity football. My work terms allowed me to live in many different places and one winter work term landed me in Sudbury which was not the best climate for my MG sports car.

My two greatest passions in life are music and computers. The University of Waterloo was instrumental in providing me with the perfect place to explore both of them.

I came to the University of Waterloo because I wanted to learn how to build and program computers. I applied and was accepted into the Computer Engineering program. I can't imagine a better program; we learned it all, right down to the electrons!

With that title, you’re thinking Christmas, right? You’ve got that jingle in your head: “It's the most wonderful time of the year. It's the hap-happiest season of all!” But here at Waterloo, that’s not necessarily the case. Everyone remembers those times when campus is an eerie kind of quiet. Christmas is just that. So what do I mean when I say it’s the most wonderful time of the year?

I remember the first time I set foot on uWaterloo campus. Away from home...meeting new people, attending class lectures, being in residence...I was scared and excited! But I found that the Dons in residence helped to make it a wonderful experience!

Hello there readers! Blogger-by-profession I am not, but when the opportunity arose to share why I (a proud Applied Health Sciences grad) attend Waterloo alumni events with the world (or at least Alumni Affairs’ Facebook followers), my fingers hit the keyboard. But before I get started, I thought you should know a bit about me first.

I remember the day I approached my first Plan 100 class: "Introduction to Planning". I was 18 years old, away from home for the first time and anxious to meet the Urban & Regional Planning classmates with whom I'd be spending the next four years. I took a seat in the back row. Introductions were made. Smiles exchanged. Connections established.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this blog series and have gained useful tips for your career journey.
I thought I’d end this blog with an update about myself.
In the past few months I’ve interviewed and sought advice from Waterloo Career Advisors, Jayne and Tanya. It’s been great to have gained insight into myself to help me on my way. With their help I’ve completed and analyzed personality and skills assessments, and also learned useful tips for future job searches.

Let’s be real, job searching is hard! We’ve got a degree, maybe a few, now it’s time to face the real world. Most of our productive lives will be spent working, so why work at a place that doesn’t spark your passion or interests? Finding a job that you truly enjoy is something we should all strive for. Providing for yourself (and your family) through a job that you’re passionate about will lead to a more satisfying and meaningful life.

It’s hard to believe that just over one year ago I was writing my final university exam and saying goodbye to friends as I packed up my apartment. Like most new graduates, I wasn’t sure where I was headed or what I wanted to do, but I knew that, with my Waterloo degree and a bit of determination, the possibilities ahead of me were limitless.

One of the great things about moving to Waterloo 28 years ago to attend UW, and basically never leaving, is the sense of community and continuity that comes with living near your alma mater. As my 10-year-old son Alex has grown up here in Waterloo, he’s been able to experience some of the campus spirit that his dad took part in over the years. (Not *that* kind of campus spirit; he hasn’t been to the Bombshelter yet.)

Having done a few assessments now, I can speak first-hand about how great they are for those of you looking for a career path or those who would like to change your career direction. The most important take away from any assessment is to have developed a better understanding of who you are. Knowing your desires, strengths, personality, and values are all key components to finding a job that suits you.

As graduates of the 21st century, staying connected with family, friends, causes of interest, and any number of other organizations and activities has never been so easy. Long gone are the days of having to wait to receive information and updates.

Hi Everyone! My name is Ammar Bookwala and I am a recent graduate of the Kinesiology Program at the University of Waterloo. Currently, I’m an aspiring medical student at the University of Ottawa who should be starting first year in the fall!

My colleagues and I often say that the value of a Waterloo degree is not only based on the university itself. It’s more dynamic than that. It’s based on the accomplishments of our alumni. When our grads are happy, contributing members of society, people take notice.

Graduation is a milestone that every Waterloo student looks forward to and it means different things to each one of them. Unsure of what it means to you? Let us break it down! Over the next few weeks, our “GRADS” blog series will delve into what it means to be a graduate of this fine institution (geese and all).

As we finish our undergraduate careers at Conrad Grebel, we’ve been invited to reflect back on our experiences and what makes us excited to give back to the community we’ve called home for the past four (or five) years. It’s going to be hard to put into words, but we’re going to do our best!

St. Jerome’s University (SJU) has launched an innovative tool aimed at entertaining and engaging a new breed of tech-savvy donors. We teamed up with HuStream Video, a video production agency based out of Kelowna, BC. HuStream has produced videos for student recruitment in the past and we’re excited to use their technology as a donor engagement tool.

The new Giving to SJU Interactive Video is a series of short, informative video clips that highlight the needs and opportunities for giving, tied together with navigation buttons embedded right into the clips.

What do the Consul General of Los Angeles, an engineer @ Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic, the CTO of Christie Digital, and a Professor in Earth & Environmental Sciences all have in common? They are all special guest speakers at alumni events this week and next along the west coast…ish. And all but the Professor are ‘glad to be grad’ Waterloo alumni.

Having attended the University of Waterloo after growing up in Kitchener, I always had the urge to get out and see the world. The opportunity finally came when I was accepted into the computer science master’s program at University College London in London, England. While London is not ‘the world’, the world does come to London … literally.

Young alumni pose with King Warrior and learn about the Grad Challenge

Have you ever benefited from philanthropy? If you went to the University of Waterloo, the answer is yes. I know, I know, some of you are saying that you paid tuition in return for your education. I used to think that way too until I took a part-time job at the University of Waterloo Call Centre when I was a student.

What do basketballs, inflatables, and paper airplanes have in common? Fantastic Alumni Day.

Saturday, January 26 saw the PAC gymnasium filled with hundreds of smiling faces for our 14th annual event. And wow, what a fantastic day it was! More than 630 spirited Waterloo alumni, staff and faculty members, retirees, and their families cheered on the women’s and men’s Warriors basketball teams as they battled the Windsor Lancers.

The world of blogging affords us many awesome things – insight into a person’s hobby or passion; a forum for debate and learning; a gathering place for those with shared interests. In fact, it’s your connection with uWaterloo that brings you to our blog today, and is today ever a good day to have stopped by!